British Scientists Reverse Casimir Effect

An anonymous reader writes "The Telegraph reports that Scientists at the University of St. Andrews have developed a technique to cause the Casimir effect to repel instead of attract. This discovery could lead to near frictionless machines or in theory even levitation."

Comments

When I hear 'Casimir', I think 'Zero Point'...

[Remus Shepherd]

I am a physicist, but these subjects are often beyond me. Still, let me try a short explanation. This seems, to me, rather an important discovery.

The Casimir effect happens when you get two surfaces very nearly touching. Virtual particles emerge on the other side of the surfaces and force them together. Virtual particles being, well, virtual -- very short-lived and low-energy -- this effect only occurs when the surfaces are very, very close to one another.

What's intriguing about the Casimir effect is that it is extracting work from the zero point energy of the universe, the base energy field of empty space. (Yes, even a total vacuum contains virtual particles, and thus some energy.) It is not immediately obvious how to make this useful, however, if the only way to tap into the zero point energy is to destructively sandwich two expensive materials together.

Reversing the Casimir effect is brilliant. By placing a perfect lens between the two materials, the virtual particles create a repulsive force. This could, as stated, create a levitation effect by preventing the surfaces from ever touching. 'Levitation' is a strong word, though. It'll 'levitate' a nanometer or so above the other surface, which is only good for reducing the friction between them to zero. So 'frictionless surfaces' is probably the keyword we should be using here.

I'm intrigued because it would seem to be easier to generate power from the zero point energy with a repulsive effect than an attractive one. So this could also be the first step toward a zero point energy generator -- free energy. What will they think of next...